Fading Like a Flower
by Jasper Winter Mory
Summary: What you said isn't true, she whispered softly, twisting her hat around in her hands. I don't love Oliver... I love...you...
1. Hidden Secrets

Author Notes: Well, hello to you all. This is an interesting story that I wrote over a year ago. I just wanted to share it with the world.  
Warning: Language, Slash, and Violence  
Summary: What happens when Miley comes back to school completely different. Lilly, Miley and Oliver have some secrets they keep safe from each other.  
Disclaimer: If I owned the amazing Hannah Montana, I'd do this. Hehe...  
Reminders: PLEASE REVIEW!

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Chapter 1 - Hidden Secrets**A "Miley, is that you?" Lilly sat down at the table next to her best bud and looked at her. She had definitely changed that summer. The tech trendoid with designer clothes had suddenly thrown out all of her stylish clothes and bought a wardrobe full of beanies, combat boots, chained pants, fingerless gloves, and tons of dark colored t-shirts. 

"Yeah Lil, it's me," she responded, pulling down her beanie to her hair from view. Lilly reached up and gently tugged the beanie off of her friend's head, revealing the now short and choppy multicolored hair.

"What happened to you? You've completely changed. Does this have something to do with you and Jake Ryan?" Miley shook her head, pulling out her new cell phone. She sent a text message to Oliver and closed the phone.

"Nothing happened to me Lilly, I just…changed. That's all." she took her beanie back from Lilly and stood up. "I'm outta here," she muttered, grabbing her bag and heading out the school doors. When she got outside, the mellow October air hit her, leaving her with wind blown hair, and leaves stuck to her clothing. "I haven't changed Lils, you have."

She remembered the day school started. Hoping on shocking the entire student body, she got dressed in her black and baggy chain pants, a Lost Boys T-shirt, bright red suspenders and her black and white Converse sneakers. As she walked to school, she heard Lilly calling Oliver's name behind her and wondered if her best friend would even recognize her.

"Oliver, where's Miley?" She heard Lilly ask behind her, causing her to smile. So she didn't know who she was. At least not yet. Oliver, however, knew how the 'new Miley' dressed, so he knew who she was, although he didn't tell Lilly.

Once they were all inside their new English classroom, the teacher started taking role. "Lilly Truscott?" Lilly raised her hand and smiled. "Oliver Okens?" Oliver raised his hand as well. "Miley Stewart?"

"Oh she's not-" Lilly started, but she was cut off when Miley slowly raised her hand and muttered, "here." The entire class started muttering things to their nearby friends as Lilly stood up and shockingly replied, "What?" Miley put her hand back down as the teacher ordered for silence.

As soon as English class was over, Lilly confronted Miley about the new style. When asked why she had changed so much that summer, Miley simply shrugged and said, "I basically just needed a change." She walked away, heading to her enxt class. Since they only had English and Gym together, Lilly didn't get to see Miley that often.

"Miley Miley Miley!" Lilly squealed, " I have the best news!" Miley turned to look at her as she pulled on her gym shorts. It was the very beginning of October now, and Miley was starting to act friendly and sort of revert back to her normal state. Jake Ryan had come too town again to shoot a romance film and he asked Miley out again, though she had turned him down in front of the whole world on public tv.

"Miley Miley guess what!" Lilly exclaimed, jumping up and down. Miley stared at her, waiting for her to go on. "You're supposed to say 'what' Miles." Miley opened her mouth to protest but Lilly shrugged and spilled her 'guess what' anyway. "So, even though you didn't say 'what', I'll tell you anyway. Lucas and I got back together!"

Miley, who had een taking a drink of water at the time, spat it back out in a rush. "Lil, please tell me you're not serious." Lilly nodded happily, but when she saw Miley's sad face, she stopped. "Lilly, he cheated on you," she muttered, looking at her bf.

"Yeah Miley, I know, but he promised that he wouldn't do it again. Look." She stopped to show her her hand, on which a shining silver band rested on the ring finger. "See, he even bought me a promise ring to show that we'll be together forever." Miley looked at the ring for a moment and then left foor the gym.

"Miley!" Lilly called behind her. She just ignoed her and started running around the track. Unable to catch up to her, Lilly stopped and twisted the band on her finger, absentmindedly staring at it. "Miley, what did I do?"

That day, Miley ran home from school and threw out all of the 'normal' clothes that she had bought since the start of school with Lilly. She walked into her bathroom and pulled out a pair of scissors and vials of dark liquid.

A week later, Miley returned to school and sat in the back of all her classrooms. When she reached her last period English class, she sighed softly. Lilly and Oliver ran up to her and hugged her tightly. She nodded softly and pulled away, adjusting her beanie to assue that her hair was covered.

"Miley, are you okay?" Lilly asked, stepping back a bit. "I came over your house loads of times, but your dad kept telling me tht you were sick."

"I was sick," she responded groggily, trying her best to fake it. "But now I'm better." She looked at Oliver, who shook his head and sighed. Lilly seemed convinced, but Oliver wasn't, and she knew why. That day, she had called Oliver and told him she'd be back at school next week and begged him not to tell Lilly. He agreed to it as long as Miley promised to tell him what was going on.

"I will Oliver, in due time." She went to hang up, but stopped and returned the phone to her ear. "And Oliver...thanks." He responded with a sweet and gentle, 'no problem', and then hung up.

It was basically two days after Miley returned that her best friends figured out what she had done that week. When Lilly accidentally knocked off Miley's hat at lunch, everyone found out. "Miley, what the heck?!"

Lilly gently touched the now short and choppy auburn hair streaked about with blue, scarlet and purple streaks. A chill went through Miley, causing her to smile for a split second. "Miley, when'd you do this?"

"Umm...last Monday I think." Lilly stared at her, twirling the shining silver band around her finger again. Miley looked at the band again, resisting the urge to run and hide under the covers again.

Lilly realized that her friend was staring at the band, so she flushed and said something about having to meet Lucas and disappeared. Miley stood up to leave as well, but Oliver grabbed onto her wrist and held her so that she couldn't leave.

"Miley, the time is now. Please tell me what's going on," he asked gently, leading her out of the cafeteria and into an empty classroom. Miley siilently nodded and stared out the window, listening to the soft rainfall outside. When she finally turned around, she had tears in her eyes. Oliver walked over to her and hugged her tightly. Miley wrapped her arms around him, burying her face in his neck.

By a quite unfortunate incident, Lilly had been unable to find Lucas, so she was slowly making her way back to the cafeteria when she saw them through the window in the door. She was quite shocked to see her two best friends standing there, hugging each other for what seemed like forever.

Miley looked up and through her blurred vision, she saw her best friend's shocked face and she bit her lip. "So this is why you changed so much Miley? Because you two were secretly dating behind my back?! Some friends you guys are!" She stormed down the hallway.

"No, Lilly wait!" Quickly she pulled out of Oliver's grasp and went to chase after her friend, but she was nowhere to be found.

"Lilly, what you said isn't true," she whispered softly, twisting her hat around in her hands. "I don't love Oliver... I love...you..."


	2. Damaged Lives

Author Notes: I'm so so so so so so sorry that I haven't updated in 2+ months, but I've been having a really bad November/December. Hectic school, suicidal friends, depression, and all of that crap. But I found my notebook, got my plotline back into place, and tada! Chapter two is finally done!  
Warning: Female Slash, Self Injury, Language, Violence  
Summary: What happens when Miley comes back to school completely different? Lilly, Miley and Oliver have some secrets they keep safe from each other.  
Disclaimer: I do not own Hannah Montana or the characters. Only the plot line. And an amazing daemon named Carlisle. (More info will be updated on that later)  
Last Thoughts: PLEASE REVIEW!

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Fading Like a Flower 

**Chapter Two - Damaged Lives**

Lilly ran into the nearest restroom and shut the door, breathing deeply. She sam down to the floor, holding her head in her hands. How could they? The three of them had been best friends since sixth grade, and now they were keeping secrets from Lilly left and right.

"I hate them both!" she declared, wiping her eyes to get rid of the tears that were starting to leak out of them. She took a few deep breaths and smiled softly. "I...I'm just going to ignore them. That's all." She stood up and looked outside, checking to make sure that no one was coming back before she exited the bathroom.

Miley had re-entered the classroom sobbing. Oliver walked over to her and hugged her softly. "She...she thinks...that we're dating..." Miley breathed out, trying to calm down.

"Do you want us to be?" Oliver asked calmly, pulling her into an even tighter hug. Miley was shocked, and she pulled away.

"What?" she asked, holding herself.

"I asked you, do you want us to be? Miley, I have to admit that I've really liked yoiu ever since the seventh grade, and i really can't stop liking you." He took a few steps towards her, trying to wrap his arms around her once more. "Please, can we be together, if only for a little while, and then, I pormise I'll help you get the girl."

Miley looked at him, shocked. "How did you know that I...like Lilly?" Oliver smiled, embracing her once more.

"Ever since the start of high school, you've been staring at her in classes. I noticed it for quite a while before I figured out why you couldn't stop staring at her. You love her." Miley nodded solemnly, leaning her head on Oliver's shoulder.

"Here's what I say. Go out with me for a week, and promise me a special something, and I'll help you get her." Miley nodded again, turning to look at him. He smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. "Good."

That week was pure torture for Miley. Not only did she hate having to constantly be around Oliver with his constant hugs and kises, but she also became extremely depressed that Lilly was now completely ignoring them. On the very last day of the date week, aka the second Sunday of November, she got a text message from Lilly.

Dear Miley,

I hate you!

I'm going all the way

with Lucas tonight.

Lilly

Miley read that message over and over again. Lilly hated her. She hated her, and there was nothing Miley could do to change that, or the fact that she was going all the way with Lucas.

When Oliver came to pick Miley up for their final date that night, he found a crying Miley and an open phone. Oliver picked up the phone and read the message, the smile on his face shrinking every second. "Miley, come on. We're going to Lilly's."

Reluctantly, Miley stood up and pulled a coat on over her pj's. Oliver led her to his brand new car, put her in the passengers seat, and got into the driver's seat. Since Lilly's house was only a block or two away, it was pointless to drive, but since Miley was in her pj's, they did.

When they got to Lilly's house, Oliver let Miley out, but he stayed in the car. He didn't want to add insult to injury. Miley ran up the steps to Lilly's front door and knocked impaitently. She waited for someone to answer the door. It was Lilly.

"Lilly!" Miley squealed, jumping forward to hug her best friend. Lilly pushed her away and turned around.

"What do you want...Miley." Miley looked at her friend sadly, trying not to cry. Miley looked down at the ground, trying to blink back the tears that were already forming.

"Lilly, I came here to apologize. I know that I hurt your feelings, and I really want to say I'm sorry. I just want us to be friends again. Lilly, please." She took Lilly's hands in her own and looked at her bff. Lilly bit her lip and almost gave in. That was before she remembered about Oliver.

"What about your boyfriend?" she asked, fighting to keep her voice steady. Miley looked at her confusedly. "You know, Oliver? I can't believe that you guys didn't tell me."

"That's because there was nothing to tell you. Oliver and I aren't dating. he's not the person I love." Lilly smiled softly and squeezed her best friend's hands.

"Then who is it? This one you love. Is it Jake?" Miley shook her head. "No? Then who?" Miley bit her lip as she looked away.

"Well Lilly." She turned her gaze back to Lilly. "The one I love is y-" She was cut off when a door slammed shut and a tall and lank sandy-haired boy appeared.

"I'm back Lils. Uh...hey Miley." Lilly bit her lower lip again and gave Miley an apologetic look.

"Look, I'm sorry about this. I'll call you later tonight okay?" Miley nodded and gave Lilly a 'dont sleep with him' look. Lilly flusheed slightly and replied with yet another apologetic look. I'm really sorry Miley, but I already did." She quickly hugged her startled friend and led her out the door, shutting it behind her.

Miley returned to the car and got in. Oliver looked at her, but upon seeing the shocked glare, he came upon three conclusions. 1. She and Lilly still weren't friends. 2. Lilly had already done it with Lucas. And 3. Both. He really hoped it wasn't number three.

"Well...we're friends again," Miley whispered, curling up in a ball on the car seat. So it was number 2. Oliver leaned over and hugged her. Miley pushed him off of her. "Take me home," she whispered, curling up into an even tighter ball. Oliver started up the car and drove her home.

Miley waited all night for a phonecall from Lilly, but none came. She took the next day off from school, and her dad didn't care. Robby Ray Stewart was too busy getting ready to take Jackson to his volleyball tournament. Miley sat up in her bed, wrapping the blankets tightly around her.

"Hey Miles, Jackson and I are off. We'll be back on Sunday, okay Bud?" He walked over to her and kissed her forehead. "You sure you're feeling alright to stay here by yourself this weekend? Why don't I send you to Lilly's for the weekend." Miley shook her head and smiled.

"No dad, I'm fine." She smiled softly and hugged him. "Have ffun on your trip Daddy." Robby patted her head and smiled. He left the room, whistling 'Nobody's Perfect.' Miley slipped out of her bed and walke dover to her computer. She logged on to check her email and found five new messages from Lilly. She checked them and moved them to the trash folder.

She then logged off and grabbed her backpack. The phone rang, but she ignored it. Miley opened her backpack and dumped out the contents on her bed. Two binders, a notebook, assorted pencils and pens, a mathbook, protractor, and a ruler landed on her bed.Miley bit her lip and stared at the protracter. The ringing stopped, and she heard a girl's voice on the answering machine. Crying now, Miley picked up the protractor and placed the cold sharp metal tip on her skin. She looked down at the floor, took a deep breath, and dragged the tip across her arm.

"Miley?" She heard Lilly downstairs. Miley quickly stood up and hid the protractor, wiped off the blood that was now streaming down her arm and pulled on a black long-sleeved shirt. Lilly ran up to her room and entered. "Hey Miley, are you okay? I didn't see you at school today."

"Yeah Lil, I'm fine," she responded, tugging a little on her shirt. "Hey, I'm gonna go use the bathroom. Be right back." Lilly nodded as she sat down on the bed. She placed her hand down, but lifted it when she felt something wet. She stared at the little drop of red liquid on her hand.

"Oh Miley, what did you do to yourself?"

Miley stood in the bathroom, breathing deeply. She pulled the protractor out of her back pocket and gripped it tightly. Miley rolled up her sleeve and cut again and again. When she finally felt calm again, she put the protractor away, cleaned herself up, and walked back into her bedroom.

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A/N: Okay, so now that chapter two is finally done, it's on to chapter three, assuming I get at least three reviews. If not, well you'll just hafta wait. Thank you again.  
See you next time! 


	3. Discovering Hannah

Author Notes: Okay, it's taken me forever to finish this chapter, and I found my notebook again. It went missing, then reappeared. This chapter is dedicated to my best friend in the whole wide world, Courtney. I love you Court!  
Warning: Language, Slash, and Violence  
Summary: "What you said isn't true," she whispered softly, twisting her hat around in her hands. "I don't love Oliver... I love...you..."  
Disclaimer: If I owned the amazing Hannah Montana, I'd do this. Hehe...  
Reminders: PLEASE REVIEW!

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When she returned, Lilly was still sitting and staring at her hand. "I...I'm back." Lilly looked up at her. She nodded slowly, stood up, and showed Miley the bloody spot on her bed. "Oh, I woke up to find my nose bleeding. It's all better now though."

"Right. Okay. So I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie today or something." Miley cleaned her school stuff off the bed and crawled back into it.

"So you want me to come see a movie with you after you promised to call me last night, but didn't?" To tell the truth Lils, that's pretty low." She pulled the covers over her head and turned away. Lilly walked around the bed and sat down next to her.

"Hey, that was totally wrong of me, I know. It was just that... After you left, Lucas and I had a long talk and we...we broke up." Miley lifted the covers to look at her. The expression on Lilly's face was sincere, so Miley shoved off the covers.

"Oh Lilly, I'm sorry." Miley sat up and hugged her friend tightly. Lilly smiled as Miley pulled her into the hug.

"Nah. Miley, it's time actually. I've realized that he's a complete and total asshole. He was bragging to all of his friends about how he 'bagged' me. And Miley, I kind of liked to you. We didn't go all the way." Miley let her go and stared at her.

"So you didn't have sex with him?" Lilly shook her head and grabbed her hands. Miley looked down and was happy to see Lilly's ring finger free of the silver band. "Well then, yeah. Let's go to the mall today." Lilly laughed softly.

"Okay, and a movie on me." She smiled brightly and stood up. "Get dressed kay? I'll wait downstairs." Lilly slipped out of the bedroom. Miley laughed and jumped out of bed. She grabbed her makeup and hair supplies as she ran to the bathroom. She dug for her ponytail bag, pulled out every single ponytail in the bag, and started sectioning and braiding her hair. When she finished, she pulled out her eye shadow and mascara and applied just the tiniest bit to her face.

"Miley, you almost ready?" Lilly called from the living room. Miley went back into her bedroom and hunted through her wardrobe. She pulled out a black miniskirt, black and red leggings, a pair of Converse High-tops, and a black and red pirate shirt. Quickly, she pulled on her clothing and looked in the mirror. She loved her outfit, but something was missing.

"Miley?" Lilly walked up the stairs and knocked on the door. "Ready?" Miley pushed the clothes in her closet aside and entered the Hannah Montana wardrobe. She pushed the revolving button and waited patiently for the item to come to the front. She grabbed it, pulled it on and exited the room. "Miley?"

Miley walked to her door and opened it. "Yup, I'm ready." Lilly grinned slightly as she took in outfit and hair.

"Wow Miley, I love your outfit. Especially the vest." Lilly reached out and gently fingered the red vest that was tastefully dusted with tiny metal stars and hearts.

"Thanks Lils." Miley responded, adjusting her hair. She smiled softly. "I have to give up on her," she thought as they left the house. "Lilly's never going to love me back." She watched as Lilly hopped into her brand new car.

"Miley, can I drive your car?" Miley walked over to her and shook her head.

"Daddy said I can't drive it 'til I turn 18. He's taken away the keys." Lilly nodded and hopped out of the convertible.

"We can take my car then." She walked over to her car and unlocked it. "Come on." Miley got in as Lilly turned on the vehicle. "Here we go!" Lilly exclaimed as they took off.

Lilly and Miley were now walking down to the theaters. Lilly was now wearing a slightly punkish outfit to match her shoulder-length blue streaked blonde hair. Miley was smiling as they entered the theatre and looked up to see what was playing.

"What do you want to see Miley?" Lilly asked s she looked at the info for a new horror movie. "Blood Beckons sounds like a good movie, so does Nitemare." Miley looked at her and shook her head.

"How about something lighter instead?" she suggested, pointing towards the comedy/romance section. Lilly looked at the section, smiling softly. "What about In The Rough?" she asked and read the brief synopsis underneath it. "They were her boys. She was their girl…" she trailed off and looked to Miley for approval. Miley nodded and smiled brightly and they both entered the theater.

The movie played, and Miley was only paying the minimal amount of attention to what was going on on the screen. She was mesmerized by the person sitting next to her, and she was desperate to get Lilly out of her mind.

She was tempted to reach over and take Lilly's hand, but she didn't because she knew what would happen if she did. Lilly would freak out or something. She spent the rest of the movie wishing she had taken Lilly's hand, even though she would never.

"That movie was great!" Lilly said, stretching her arms out.

Miley nodded in agreement. "I know! I especially liked the part when Bia and Chris kissed for the dare. It made me laugh."

Lilly shook her head. "Nah, I think the part where Bia was like, 'I didn't' get run over by a truck Vern, so leave me alone, I just want to go to sleep.' That was my favorite."

Miley laughed. "Yeah, that was the best movie in the world."

As they were walking out of the mall, a familiar song came to play on the speakers. "Oh wow, I remember when they came out with this song. I think it was right after we sung together. I'm not sure." Lilly laughed and looked at Miley, smiling.

"Why don't we, just for old time's sake." Miley nodded and they started dancing in the middle of the food court. People stopped and stared at the two girls dancing to the old Jonas Brother's song.

_When you love someone_

_And they break your heart_

don't give up on love

Have faith, restart

Just hold on, hold on  


"Hey!" someone called from the side, making Miley and Lilly stop dancing. "Isn't that the vest Hannah Montana wore at her concert in September?" A pale girl with strawberry hair and emerald eyes walked up to Miley and gently touched the vest. "It is, I remember, it felt the exact same."

"No offense, but who are you?" Miley asked, pulling back. She didn't like people touching her, and she really didn't like people relating her outfit to Hannah Montana.

"Oh, I'm Darcy Hunter, sorry. It's just that, Hannah gave me that vest, and she told me it was a one of a kind. Where'd you get it?" Miley noticed that the girl was very thin, and beautiful, in an angelic sense.

"Umm..it was given to me. I don't really know where I got it. Wait, Darcy Hunter did you say?" Darcy nodded, and Miley laughed softly. "Sorry, I'm not laughing at you, I promise. Umm…" she searched her pockets for a scrap of paper. "Can you come by my house tomorrow afternoon? There's something I want to talk to you about."

"Why should I?" Darcy asked, handing her a piece of paper and a pen. "I don't even know you." Miley nodded and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"Because I'll tell you about Hannah Montana." She replied, handing her the paper in pen back. Darcy's eyes widened and she nodded, taking the scrap of paper.

"Miley, c'mon. It's time to go. We need to head home." Miley nodded and followed Lilly out the door, not bothering to look back at the staring girl. She would find out all she wanted to know soon enough.

As they drove home, Lilly kept silent. She was curious about that girl that Miley had talk to at the mall, but she wasn't going to ask. To her, it felt rude.

They pulled into the driveway and Lilly let her out of the car. "Come by tonight. We should have a sleep over. It'll be fun." Miley nodded and grabbed her shopping bags from the back seat. "I'll see you there Miles."

"Absolutely, I'll be over in an hour or two. I have to leave a note to dad and pack." Lilly nodded and smiled.

"I can't wait."


	4. Sleeping Over

Author Notes: I know. You guys have been waiting forever for me to finish this chapter. Well, I know Courtney has been at least, seeing as how she yelled at me in other reviews to keep her from waiting longer than normal for this. I have up to chapter six done now, so no yelling at me! They'll be up soon. Oh, and here you go Courtney. This'll make you happy. It might not make you unsick, but it'll make you happy. Tada!  
Warning: Language, Slash  
Summary: "What you said isn't true," she whispered softly, twisting her hat around in her hands. "I don't love Oliver…I love…you…"  
Disclaimer: See Chapter One  
Reminders: Please Review. It'll really mean a lot to me if you did, especially if you took time to read the fanfiction.

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Fading Like a Flower**

**Chapter 4 – Sleeping Over**

Miley stood at the door, knocking softly. She didn't know if anyone was home, and was about to turn away when

Lilly opened the door. "Hey, you're early," she laughed, moving aside to let her in. Miley smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just wanted to get here, and I know I should have waited longer, but the house is empty, and it's lonely in there by myself." She looked down. "I figured you wouldn't mind if I showed up early. If it bothers you, I'll leave." Lilly stopped her.

"No no, I'm fine with it. In fact, it makes me happy that you came over early." Miley laughed and threw her bags on the floor. "Well, umm…I don't have everything set up, so I hope that's fine with you. I still have to pull up a few movies and grab the snacks. She shut the door. "Go on up and set your stuff in my room. I'll finish setting up."

Miley picked up her bags again and walked up the stairs to her bedroom. She knew where it was by heart. Second door on the left and up to the loft. Miley absolutely loved Lilly's bedroom. It was so much cooler then her own.

"Open the door and you'll find paradise," the plate on the door read. Miley pushed open the door and smiled. In the two months that had past, the room didn't change at all. "Thank god," she whispered, smiling widely.

Lilly's room had taken a drastic change before high school started, and it was now decked out with the simplicities on the ground level of her bedroom. A mere bed, desk, and various tables and dressers for her clothes, as well as a closet. The colors were neutral shades of beige and blue.

Lilly came running up the steps with a giant tray of cookies, chips, pretzels, dips, and sodas. "How come you haven't gone up yet?" Miley shrugged and watched as Lilly placed the tray down on her desk. She pulled open the third door to the closet and reached a tiny elevator and a ladder. She then picked up the tray and set it gently inside the elevator and closed the glass door before pushing the up button. "I'll send the elevator back down when I get up there. Meet you at the top."

Miley nodded and watched her friend climb up the ladder. She was happy. Happier than she had been since the beginning of the school year, and it was all because of Lilly. They were real friends again, and she didn't have to worry about getting crap from her friends about her outfit anymore. The elevator softly dinged, causing Miley to come back into focus. She opened the elevator door and put her duffle and sleeping bag inside of it before hitting the up button.

"Don't forget to shut the closet door!" Lilly called from above her. Miley pulled the door shut and chuckled to herself softly. She climbed up the ladder and smiled widely. The loft, unlike the designer stereotypical bedroom that was below, had completely changed with the two months that had passed.

Lilly had gotten rid of the trundle bed she had up there and replaced it with a hammock on one side of the room and a hammock bed on the other. There were big squashy beanbags on the floor and thick fluffy carpets on the wooden floor. There was entirely new electronics in the loft. A flat screen TV and brand new DVD player and gaming systems had been placed into holes in the walls.

"Wow Lils, upgraded much?" She laughed, gently fingering the shelves of DVDs that enveloped the walls. Lilly spun her squishy circle chair around to face Miley. She was smiling widely as she snagged a handful of chips and popped one into her mouth.

"Not really. It's just the combination of my birthday present and the money from all the work I did." She giggled a very un Lilly-like giggle and popped another chip into her mouth. Miley laughed and sat down in the hammock. She curled up into a little ball and yawned loudly. "You sound exhausted Miles," Lilly muttered, dusting her hands from the chip crumbs. She looked at her friend and sighed. "Why don't you take a nap?"

Miley lifted her head from the cushioning that her arms provided. "Oh, I guess. I haven't been sleeping well these past few weeks. If you don't mind…" she trailed off, blinking a few times. "I'll only rest for only an hour or two." Lilly nodded and stood up from her comfortable position on the chair. She walked over to the wall of DVDs and pulled one out at random. She popped it into the DVD player and smiled Miley read the opening title before she dozed off.

As Miley was sleeping, Lilly watched the movie Music and Lyrics. As the movie ended, Lilly sighed and looked to the sleeping Miley. She chuckled softly and smiled as she watched Miley wrap her arms around one of the stuffed animals that was sitting on the hammock.

"See, there we are. My best friend: Punk on the outside, five year old on the inside." She chucked and stood up to retrieve the DVD from the player. After she returned it to its case and returned that to the shelf, she took another look at Miley.

"She's asleep. She won't notice if I disappear for a few minutes." Lilly smiled and climbed down the ladder. "Mom!" she called from the top of the stairs. "I'm going to run and see Oliver. I'll be back in ten." Her mom yelled something back to her before saying okay. Lilly pulled on her shoes and ran out the door and jogged down the street to Oliver's house.

Oliver was sitting in his room, reading a book they had been assigned to read for English. It was boring and it made him sleepy, but he continued to read it anyway. _Tap Tap Tap. _Someone was knocking on his window. He didn't feel like turning around, and he was pretty sure that he knew who it was, so he a raised a lazy arm and beckoned her.

"Come on in Miley," He muttered, finishing up the chapter. Behind him, the window opened and the person climbed into his room. Oliver threw the book across the room and closed his eyes. "Miles, that book is the worst thing ever invented. Why did Lilly tell Mr. Alcorn to assign that stupid thing?"

"Haha, that was so funny I forgot to laugh," His eyes widened. That wasn't Miley's voice. He turned around to see Lilly standing there, glaring at him.

"Oh. God. Lilly." He muttered, wiping the quickly forming sweat off of his forehead. "I didn't mean it. I swear. I know you didn't tell him to assign it. I...I thought you were-"

"Don't be stupid Oliver." Lilly spoke quietly. It was the kind of quiet that was even worse than yelling and screaming, and it was freaking Oliver out. "I know that I have no control over what Alcorn assigns us. As for you, I thought you would have gotten over the whole grudge thing. Just because he likes me more doesn't mean you have to get all jealous."

Oliver laughed. "Me? Jealous? You have got to be kidding. You're absolutely…" When he caught the look on Lilly's face, he stopped. "Right," he muttered, standing up to put the book in his backpack. Lilly smirked triumphantly and collapsed on his bed. "Why are you here anyway?"

Lilly rolled her eyes and stared up at the ceiling. "What? Can't I visit my best guy friend every once in a while?" Oliver stopped what he was doing and stared at her. She caught his eyes and laughed. "Okay, I know that didn't work that well. Don't tell me." Oliver sat down next to her on the bed and gave her a nod of continuance. "Okay."

"Have you noticed anything different with Miley lately?"

Oliver kept his face straight, but his brain raked over the things he had learned about his friend. _"She'__s gay. She loves you__. She changed b__ecause she wanted to be noticed by you."_ The questions and comments ran through his mind, but he kept his mouth shut.

"No, I really haven't noticed anything different with Miley. Why? Is something wrong with her?" Lilly shrugged and started playing with her fingers. "Lilly." Oliver whispered, "Is something going on with Miley?" Lilly merely shrugged again.

"In all honesty, I don't know. She's been acting weird. Earlier today, when we were at the mall, she saw this random girl who recognized a Hannah Montana vest, and Miley wants to talk to her. I think she's going to tell this girl that she's Hannah Montana." Oliver nodded slowly and sighed.

"I don't know what to say about this. Miley knows what she's doing, so I think it'll be fine." He sighed and they sat in silence for a few moments.

"OLIVER!" Oliver's eyes widened and he stood up. "GET DOWN HERE!" He gave Lilly a nervous glare and shoved her towards the window.

"Get out! They'll kill me if they know I have someone over." Lilly nodded and noticed that Oliver was shaking. "Go." He muttered, helping her out the window. Lilly climbed down out of the window and down the trellis. "Say hi to Miley for me!" Oliver whispered.

"OLIVER GET DOWN HERE NOW!" He hit his head off of the window and ran out the door. When Lilly reached the bottom of the trellis, she dusted herself off and looked back up to Oliver's window.

"Weird," she muttered, walking down the pathway. She checked the time on her cell phone and realized that she had been gone a little over twenty minutes. "Oh shit!" she hissed, sprinting back to her home. As soon as she got into the door, she kicked off her shoes and ran to her room.

Miley was just waking up when Lilly got to the top of the ladder. "Good Morning sleepy head!" she called, collapsing on one of the beanbags. Miley rubbed her eyes and smiled.

"Morning," she muttered. Lilly chuckled and scanned the movie shelf for a good girl time DVD to pop in. "Are you looking for a movie for us to watch?" Lilly nodded, causing Miley to smile. "Well I have the perfect movie for us to watch. If that's okay with you, that is." Lilly chuckled softly.

"Go on ahead." Miley smiled and stood up. She pulled an unmarked DVD case from her bag and walked over to the TV. She popped the DVD into the player and sat down on a beanbag next to Lilly. She pulled the remote down from its resting spot.

"I think you're really going to like this." The previews scrolled through and Lilly realized that every single movie that was being previewed had not even been released to theatres yet. The welcome screen appeared and Lilly shrieked.

"Sweeney Todd! No Way!" Miley giggled softly and scrolled through the subtitles menu. "Miley, how did you get this? It hasn't even come out in theatres and you own an official copy of the DVD?"

"Let's just say this is a loan from Johnny. He didn't feel like watching himself again, so he figured, give Hannah Montana a copy and ask her to see how the DVD set up is, and she'll get the job done." Miley laughed. "So, you want to watch it?" She laughed loudly again when Lilly gave a nodding puppy a run for its money.

"Okay, let's go." She clicked the play button and smiled. Unlike Lilly, she had seen the movie at least three times, not including the unfinished version and the movie premiere. "You're gonna love it, but just in case, you need to know that it's a bit gruesome."

Lilly nodded. "I heard, but I don't think there's going to be anything that I'll freak out over. I've seen a lot of stuff that's worse then this, except…" Lilly shrugged it off. "That movie I saw when I was six. I still don't know if it was real or not. Did I ever tell you about it?"

Miley shook her head. "No, but let's watch the movie." She had skipped the opening credits because even though the animation was amazing, she didn't feel like watching the credits. Lilly could watch them later if she wanted to. Lilly took the remote from Miley and clicked a green button at the bottom of the remote. The lights dimmed enough to provide a movie theatre experience, and the windows curtained.

"I'm excited," Lilly whispered, smiling at Miley's minute shock. "Didn't I tell you I added settings to the lights?" Miley shook her head and chuckled right before the movie began.

The movie was just hitting the middle as Sweeney cut another man's throat and sent him down the slide. Mrs. Lovett was grinding in the meat grinder when Lilly freaked. She started shaking and tearing up. Miley looked at her friend with worry filled eyes.

"Lils, what's wrong?" she asked, watching her. Lilly shuddered and looked down at the fluffy carpet. "Lilly, what's wrong?" Lilly leaned her shaking body against Miley's shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing deeply. "Lil-"

"Remember that one thing I told you I freaked out about when I was six?" Miley nodded. "The meat grinder. Human bodies. That's what it was." She closed her eyes and started sobbing. Miley awkwardly wrapped her arms around Lilly and hugged her.

"Lilly, calm down. It'll all be fine." She hugged her with one hand and paused the movie with the other. "It'll be okay Lils. It's just a movie." She held the sobbing Lilly in her arms with welcoming and heartfelt feelings. "It'll be fine," she whispered over and over again, even though the only thing she wanted to do was whisper _"I love you."_

After what seemed like a few minutes of holding the person she couldn't live without, Lilly sniffled and pulled away. "I'm fine now," she whispered, wiping away her tears. "Thanks Miley." Miley merely nodded, missing the warmth that Lilly had provided.

"I'm glad you're okay now," Miley replied, in a bare whisper. Lilly nodded and gestured to the television. "You still want to watch the movie after that?" Lilly nodded softly.

"Yeah, I do, because if anything happens and I start to freak out again, I know you're there for me, and that makes me happy. I'll be brave and stand up to my fears because no matter what happens, I know I'll always have my best friend beside me." Miley smiled, but quickly put her hands over her face to hide a forming blush. She never thought she'd hear Lilly say that about her.

"Thank you Lilly. That means a whole lot to me. No, actually. You have no idea how much that means to me." Lilly smiled and reached across her for the remote.

"I think I do," Lilly replied, pressing the play button. They watched the rest of the movie pretty much in silence. Lilly was still a little off edge, so every time something a bit gruesome happened in the movie, Lilly squealed softly and flinched. A few times, Lilly leaned on Miley and buried her head in the crook of her neck.

Each time, Miley softly hugged her best friend and smiled softly. She was no longer paying attention to the movie. All that mattered to her now was the girl who was freaking out in her arms. "It's okay Lilly," she whispered, sighing silently. "It's just a movie."

_"And even though this is just a result of a horror movie gone wrong, It makes me happy, because it makes me feel like you can depend on me for anything. I'll protect you Lilly. I'll protect you, and I'll do anything for you Lilly, because you're not only the person I love. You're my best friend. I'll never ever lose you." _

"Don't worry Lilly. I'll protect you from Sweeney," she whispered, chucking under her breath.

_I'll protect you._


End file.
